Guraban: where the saltwater meets the freshwater

The Georges River originates south-east of Appin, flowing north-east to Liverpool and then south-east again into Botany Bay. It has several important tributaries including Williams Creek in Holsworthy, Salt Pan Creek at Padstow, Mill Creek in Menai, and the Woronora River at Illawong. The water is fresh above Liverpool and salty down to Botany Bay. The Georges River is the main tributary of Botany Bay, with the Cooks River being a secondary tributary. Today the Georges River catchment is home to 1.4 million people and is one of the most highly urbanised rivers in Australia.

Known as Tucoerah (Dhugara in Dharawal) the river was named after King George III by Governor Arthur Phillip and first explored by the Europeans Bass and Flinders in 1795. Aboriginal People have been the Traditional Owners of Country adjoining both sides of the Georges River for thousands of years; the Dharug, Bidjigal and Cabrogal to the north and the Dharawal (Tharawal), Gandangara, Norongaragal and Gweagal to the south. The river has always been an important focal point for Aboriginal life and culture in southern Sydney, for food, transport, and trade, as well as the land, family, flora and fauna, the sea, and sky, all part of Country. Uncovering and presenting Aboriginal stories associated with the Georges River in the local region, the exhibition highlights multiple perspectives on significant historic and contemporary connections to the river, its people, and places.